1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic component and a method of manufacturing for the electronic component, and more particularly, to an electronic component including a piezoelectric element and at least a pair of lead terminals having cup-shaped holder portions arranged to hold both end portions of the piezoelectric element.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic component related to the present invention including a strip-shaped piezoelectric element, a pair of lead terminals having cup-shaped holder portions holding both end portions of the piezoelectric element and connected to both end portions of the piezoelectric element by a conductive joining material, a capacitor substrate connected to the outer surface of the cup-shaped holder portions, and other lead terminals connected to the capacitor substrate are provided, is described in Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 5-33847.
In such an electronic component, it is common to use pressed terminals prepared by stamping a metal plate using dies in order to make cup-shaped lead terminals accurately. The cup-shaped holder portions are formed by an additional treatment of the pressed terminals prepared by stamping. The cup-shaped holder portions formed in this way are excellent for holding piezoelectric elements and have highly reliable conductivity since solder can be used in a stable condition.
However, because they are pressed terminals, a large area of a metal plate is required in order to form cup-shaped holder portions, and accordingly a lot of material loss is caused, and at the same time, since the shape of the cup must be changed when a piezoelectric element of a different kind is to be held by the terminals, different dies are required and, as a result, there is a disadvantage that the material cost and processing cost increase.
On the other hand, an electronic component provided with lead terminals made of a conductive wire having a round section is also described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-114913. In the electronic component having round lead terminals, there is an advantage that, in contrast to the pressed terminals using a metal plate, the material loss is low and the processing cost is also low. However, in this case, since a V-shaped receiving groove is formed on the side of the round lead terminal and both end portions of a piezoelectric element are inserted in the receiving grooves, the thickness of the piezoelectric element is required to be much thinner than the diameter of the round lead terminals, and there is a problem that the types of piezoelectric elements are restricted. Generally, a round lead wire that is 0.48 mm in diameter is widely used, but piezoelectric elements that can be held by the round wire are very limited. As a result, it is difficult to hold the piezoelectric elements, or it becomes difficult to apply conductive joining materials such as solder, etc., into the receiving grooves, and there is a problem that the capability of holding piezoelectric elements is insufficient and the reliability of conductivity is low.